Tarzana Probate Real Estate Broker
How a Tarzana probate sale works, from the Letters to the court confirmation hearing, with a recent Tarzana sale as the example.
Short answer: If you are an executor, administrator or trustee selling a house in Tarzana, hire a probate real estate broker who reads the Letters before pricing the house, lists it on the open market, and plans for the overbid before the court confirmation hearing. I’m Bill Gross, The LA Probate Expert, licensed since 1989, broker since 2005. I sell probate and trust homes in Tarzana and across Los Angeles County.
A recent Tarzana probate sale
In 2025 I sold a single-family home in Tarzana through a court-confirmed probate sale.
- The accepted contract was $800,000.
- I set the list price at $840,500, the minimum first overbid on an $800,000 contract. Every buyer could see the number they would have to beat in court.
- The confirmation hearing was July 23, 2025, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. No one overbid.
- The court confirmed the sale at $800,000, and it closed September 19, 2025.
| Accepted contract price | $800,000 |
|---|---|
| 5% of the contract price | $40,000 |
| Plus | $500 |
| Minimum first overbid (list price) | $840,500 |
| Cashier’s check an overbidder brings (10% of $840,500) | $84,050 |
| Overbids at the 7/23/2025 hearing | None |
| Confirmed and closed | $800,000 · closed 9/19/2025 |
No overbid is not a failure. The house was exposed to the market at the overbid price, nobody beat the contract, and the court confirmed it. That is a price the personal representative can stand behind with the heirs.
Does a Tarzana probate sale need court confirmation?
It depends on the Letters. Under limited authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (IAEA), court confirmation IS required. Under full authority, court confirmation MAY BE required, for example when an interested person timely objects to the Notice of Proposed Action and the personal representative still wants to go ahead. Los Angeles County probate hearings are held at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St. in downtown Los Angeles.
If you are a successor trustee selling a home held in a living trust, the rules are different. See selling trust property in Los Angeles as a successor trustee.
How does the overbid work?
The overbid rule comes from Probate Code §10311. The first overbid is the accepted contract price plus 5% plus $500. Each overbidder brings a cashier’s check for 10% of the overbid, payable to the estate. After the first overbid, the court can take more bids in the courtroom, and the original buyer can bid too.
That is why I keep marketing after an offer is accepted, and why I make sure the buyer understands the hearing before signing. More detail: how a court-confirmed sale works in Los Angeles and what an overbidder brings to court.
What I do on a Tarzana probate listing
- Read the Letters first, so we know whether the sale needs court confirmation.
- Price the house for the market and for the hearing.
- List it on the MLS, as-is when it needs work, so owner-occupants, contractors and cash buyers all compete.
- Work with the estate attorney on the notice, the petition and the hearing date.
I am a real estate broker, not an attorney and not a probate referee. The estate attorney makes the legal calls. Executors can start with my guide to selling an inherited house in Los Angeles and the executor checklist. If the heirs don’t agree, read what to do when heirs disagree.
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell probate homes in Tarzana?
Yes. Tarzana is part of the City of Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley. I sell probate and trust homes there for executors, administrators, trustees and estate attorneys, and I most recently sold a court-confirmed single-family home there in 2025.
Does a Tarzana probate sale need court confirmation?
It depends on the Letters. Under limited IAEA authority, court confirmation IS required. Under full authority, court confirmation MAY BE required, for example if someone timely objects to the Notice of Proposed Action. Los Angeles County probate hearings are held at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
What is the minimum overbid on an $800,000 probate sale?
$840,500. The first overbid is the accepted contract price plus 5% plus $500. The overbidder brings a cashier’s check for 10% of the overbid, which is $84,050, payable to the estate.
What happens if no one overbids at the hearing?
The court can confirm the sale to the original buyer at the contract price. On my 2025 Tarzana sale, no one overbid at the July 23, 2025 hearing, the court confirmed it at $800,000, and it closed September 19, 2025.
Is Bill Gross a probate referee?
No. A probate referee is appointed by the State Controller to appraise estate assets. I am a real estate broker. I list and sell the property, and I do not perform probate appraisals.
About the author. Bill Gross, The LA Probate Expert, brokered by eXp Realty. Licensed since 1989, broker since 2005. Probate & Trust Real Estate Broker for executors, administrators, trustees and estate attorneys in Los Angeles County. Host of Probate Weekly, The Estate Planning Podcast and The Reverse Mortgage Podcast.
DRE #01022275. Brokerage: eXp Realty of California, Inc., DRE #01878277. 8383 Wilshire Blvd #800, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 · (310) 210-0008. Bill is a real estate broker, not an attorney and not a probate referee.
Educational only, not legal advice. California probate and trust administration are fact-specific. Confirm authority, court requirements and tax consequences with the estate’s attorney and tax advisor. To protect the families involved, the sale stories on this page leave out addresses and names.